Willie Smith

Dr. Willie L. Smith, Jr. is the director of undergraduate advising in the Herbert Wertheim College of Business at Florida State University. As a higher education administrator, researcher and educator, he has more than a decade of experience at Florida State University, where his professional work centers on student achievement, academic advising, support for first-generation college students, and the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and higher education. Throughout his career, Smith has directed student success initiatives, developed academic recovery programs, supervised advising professionals, and partnered with faculty and university stakeholders to enhance the student experience. He is dedicated to helping students reach their academic and professional goals, while making the most of the opportunities available to them at FSU.

Smith earned his Ph.D. in information science from Florida State University. His research examines information behavior among first-generation college students through the lens of Chatman’s Information Poverty Theory, focusing on how access to information shapes academic experiences and student outcomes.